The Slow Burn
by nightfall26
Summary: "spark". The first time she'd allowed my eyes to rest gently on hers, to examine what lay beneath the depths, there was a complexity to the girl in blue that I'd never noticed before. It took me a long time to realize that she had her own scars too. They were just hidden. Z x K REVIEW.


**As always, I don't own A:TLA! **

**Please enjoy my little story and leave me a review when you've finished (:**

**~nightfall26**

* * *

When I awoke with tears in my eyes and sweat beading on my forehead, I knew I'd dreamed about her again.

I could remember every single time she'd looked at me. That's how I knew it was something to worry about. I couldn't even remember the last time Mai spoke to me, let alone looked at me- so I knew that _she _was different.

I remembered how it felt when her eyes skimmed over me, how it felt when they lingered on my face, how I felt like she was setting me on fire. Each simple brush of her fingers against me was a slow burn, decimating my carefully maintained sanity, threatening to send me spinning into oblivion. I remembered the way she had looked at me the last time I'd seen her, her eyes rimmed with kohl and her lips painted with red. Her long dark hair had been braided with gold thread.

She'd never looked at me quite that way before. Those deep, ocean blue irises had been heavy with longing that night, with a desire that made me feel as if I were wanted, as if were somehow good enough to even think about her in a non-plutonic way.

_"Fire Lord Zuko." _She'd acknowledged me with a flutter of her eyelashes and a half curtsey, never tearing her eyes from mine. Her voice had been smooth. It had been the night of the ball I'd thrown to celebrate our freedom from war, and Katara had dressed all in Fire Nation colors. She'd told Aang that it had been out of respect for the nation she was residing in, but I read it as something else entirely.

I read it as a homage to the thousands of times we'd exchanged agonizingly misunderstood glances. To me, it was a declaration. A cry of emotion, a scream of rebellion against what everyone else wanted her to do, what was expected of her. My heart had been singing in my chest that night.

_"Dance with me?" _I could still hear the lilt of her voice, I could picture the trancelike way her hips moved, the way her endlessly blue eyes held mine with no intention of ever looking away.

When the sun began to warm my torso, signaling the arrival of morning, I sighed a little and opened my eyes tiredly like I did every day. My sheets were cast off of the end of the bed, telling of a long, restless night. I ran my hands through my messy hair and groaned. I'd spent the majority of the evening trying to compose a letter.

It could have very easily been any other normal morning. But it wasn't. It was a morning that I'd been dreading for months, a morning that had been ringing in my ears and tearing at my heart. Today was the first anniversary of the end of the war, and the first anniversary of the last time I'd seen her. It was supposed to be a joyous day for all the nations, one where we were to all celebrate our harmony and peace. There were parades scheduled all day and parties into the night. And me, as the Fire Lord, was assigned the tiring task of attending most of those parties.

I could thank my Uncle for that.

But for me, today marked my own destruction. Today was the first time I was going to see her in twelve months, the first time I'd get to hear her voice again, to stare into those endless eyes again. I had been planning on explaining myself in a letter and having it sent to her room before I saw her, in a blind hope that she wouldn't mind my company. I had literally spent the whole night pouring over my writing desk and hoping that inspiration struck. I hadn't written her yet. Three hundred and sixty five days had passed, and I hadn't even had the courtesy to write her a single letter. I'd battled many things in this past year, many trials that had tested me beyond belief, and yet I still couldn't bring myself to send her a simple note. Just saying hello wasn't enough, apologizing wasn't enough, nothing would be enough.

I'd checked the mail every single day since the morning she'd left, and I hadn't gotten anything from her, either. I'd gotten notes from the Avatar, from Sokka, and from even Toph, but Katara hadn't written me once.

Had she even thought of me? Or was I just that single regret in her mind, that one time impulse that had faded and left destruction in its wake?

She certainly was more than that for me. I saw her face in my dreams every single night, and woke with a pain in my chest that wasn't from my scar. Last night, I'd written out every single thought I'd ever had about her, every dream, every memory, every moment of importance.

And I'd burned the pages.

"Nephew, if you're not awake soon, I'm pouring this tea on you instead of making you drink it." Uncle was outside the door with my breakfast, and I could hear the concern in his voice. I hadn't been eating well lately, and my sleep habits had been poor, at best. He'd asked me to talk to him about whatever it was that was plaguing my mind yesterday.

I was honestly afraid to tell him.

As was his usual, he barged into my bedroom, holding a tray of tea and fruit.

"Zuko, really. You've been moping about for months." His voice was despairing as he took in my messy room. Setting down the tray on my coffee table, he took a seat by the window and picked up his tea cup to pour some of the steaming liquid into it. I shifted uncomfortably in bed for a moment before finally sitting up and throwing my legs over the side of my bed.

"Not only are you up until all hours of the night, you pick at your food and refuse to acknowledge Lady Mai. It would do some good to talk about whatever is troubling you, Nephew. And I can assure you, I am one of very few who would listen without judgement." Uncle was right, as always. I pulled a shirt over my head and sat down across from him to pick up my cup of tea.

"She's coming today." I stared out the window, imagining that her ship would be docking in the harbor soon. The Avatar would surely be with her.

"Who?"

"_Katara_." I said the name with venom, and I was sure Uncle could detect the months of agony I'd gone through in my voice. His teacup stopped halfway to his mouth as he stared at me curiously.

"I somehow feel as if there are a great many things you haven't told me, Zuko."

My answering laugh was a bark, a sarcastic, ragged sound. There were so many things I'd kept from him. These were the things that kept me awake at night, that kept my eyes darkened with pain and my heart jaded.

"I don't see Mai anymore because I don't love her, Uncle. I haven't in years. I look at her and I see an empty woman." He brought the teacup to his lips again as he listened to the bitterness in my heart.

"I can't sleep at night because I see her face in my mind. I see her eyes. I see the passion that burns inside her as if it were my own, and I wonder if things could have been different if I hadn't been such an _ass._"_  
_

"Language, Zuko." Uncle Iroh chided softly, putting his cup down on the tray and folding his hands in his lap.

"Tell me what happened." His voice had always been a comfort to me. I sagged back into my chair, massaging my face with my hand.

"It's a long story."

"We've got some time before our guests arrive." He smiled at me then, and I sighed heavily, sending myself back to a time when I'd still been hopeful.

* * *

_The first time I'd looked at her, really, really looked at her, it had been long after she'd forgiven me. That was the first time she'd allowed my eyes to rest gently on hers, to examine what lay beneath the depths. I watched how Aang treated her, how his eyes would flit between our gazes and his brow would furrow with confusion. There was a complexity to the girl in blue that I'd never noticed before. _

_It took me a long time to realize that she had her own scars, too. _

_The first time Katara had ever opened up, I'd seen my the same fire that burned inside me eating away at her, too. She was so tightly coiled and ready to explode, ready to murder Yon Rha, ready to squeeze the life from him. Our passions fueled us, pushed us to the brink until we finally snapped. We were so unbearably similar. It was the first time I'd been able to make a connection with someone my own age. _

_The moment she leapt into my arms after facing her mother's killer was the first time I'd felt my heart warm with something other than fury._

_After that day, it was all downhill from there. I was absolutely hooked. Aang was protective over Katara, certainly, but not like I was. I looked after her. I helped her with dishes, in the kitchen, when she looked overwhelmed with caring for everyone. I watched her back when her defenses were down, when she was blind to her surroundings. I talked to her late at night when she couldn't sleep and her mother's screaming resonated in her nightmares. Ripping people apart when they tried to hurt her was nothing for me. _

_I wanted to be everything for her. _

_And yet, Aang still believed that they were the world's best couple. _

_My heart hurt every single time he laid a finger on her, and occasionally, I toyed with the idea of knocking him around a bit. But I had to keep myself in check. Katara wasn't mine- she wasn't anyone's. She was as free as the ocean waves. So I did my best to respect that freedom. _

_Aang, however, had to be touching her at all times. It was childish. He had an attachment to her that was unhealthy; it resembled how a child felt about it's mother, honestly. Which was weird. Everyone constantly felt the need to spout nonsense about how perfect they were for each other and how gorgeous their children were going to be. Personally, I could barely stomach all of that. _

_I'd accepted that I was falling dizzily in love with the waterbender. The first time I'd felt attraction sizzle in my chest, I'd pushed it back, angrily refusing to allow it to surface. As time wore on, my anger grew until I was forced to reconcile with the fact that I was in love with the girl who had once been my enemy._

_But I'd never even considered the idea that maybe she felt the same way about me. My temper surged when I was alone; it just wasn't fair that she was with Aang, he would never have treated her the same way I would. _

_"Zuko, I just don't love him." She'd been crying all night, and her choked voice broke my heart. It was just before the comet was supposed to hit, and tensions were running at an all time high. I knew she'd been battling with demons deep within her for quite some time. It just so happened that I was the only one she was confiding in. _

_"Katara, you don't have to be with him. You know that, right?" I whispered to her, slipping my arm around her shoulders and drawing her into me. She pressed her face into my chest and fisted her hands in my tunic with a strength that could only be associated with desperation. Of course it made me angry that she felt like she had to do something she didn't want to do just because society dictated it. Anyone could see that she didn't love the kid as much as he loved her. It was painfully obvious to all of us, and yet we all pretended for her sake that things were fine. _

_"You know I have to, Zuko." Her words, no matter how muffled, were a knife to my heart. I rubbed her back with a softness that I'd never bestowed upon anyone before. Nobody had ever meant this much to me before, except for my mother. At one time I had thought that Mai would someday rest in my heart the same way Katara did, but when she never quite made it, my apathy pushed her away._

_"Katara, listen to me. Nobody can make you do anything you don't want to do." _

_"The world expects me to marry a child." Her laugh was dark and bitter and yet so powerful, still, even in the deepness of her grief. Agni, my respect for her was never ending. I'd never heard her speak so lowly of Aang before, and honestly, the sardonic way she referred to the avatar was almost refreshing. Not that I disliked the kid, his heart was in the right place, but that was exactly what he was- a kid. _

_We were all still kids. I was struggling with the concept of marriage as it was, and I was two years older than Katara. There was no way a free spirit such as herself could possibly stomach settling down at her age. _

_"I can't let him down." Her body was trembling with the weight of what she was being asked to do, and all I wanted to do was pull her closer and promise her that I'd make it all better. But I couldn't._

_"You've done an amazing job taking care of all of us, Katara. Especially Aang. But you two aren't on the same wavelength at all; I wouldn't expect you to have any sort of romantic feelings for him." I'd tried to be reassuring, petting her hair and hoping that something I said made her feel better. I was kidding myself though, she had been Aang's from the beginning. __No matter how close we were, no matter how far we'd come, I was still nothing to her but a friend._

_At least, that had been what I'd told myself. If I'd allowed myself even the smallest slivers of hope, my already battered heart would have shattered. _

_There was one instance where blind hope gave me a strength I'd thought I'd never possess. One second, I was leaping in front of her and feeling the ripping of the lightening bolt through my body, and the next, she was cradling my head in her lap and sobbing. Her hands were pressed to my bare chest, and I could hear her voice muttering something low and fast under her breath._

_"Please, Tui and La, please save him. I can't live without him." _

_She was healing me. Her lips were trembling, tears dripping from those clear orbs that I loved to stare into so much. I lifted one of my hands to rest it on the curve of her cheek, my thumb wiping away some of the tears. _

_"I couldn't live without you either." My voice was a rasp at best, and it killed my chest to utter the words, but the spark in her eyes made it more than worth it. _

_"Zuko, you idiot." Her mouth curved up in a ghost of a smile, and we stared at each other for a moment, completely still. There was a gentleness to the way her water gloved hands moved over my wound that hadn't been there before. _

_"I know." I grinned weakly back at her, our fingers tangling together almost automatically. Her eyes, wide and glistening with unshed tears, were filled with gratitude. _

_"I'm just so glad you're alive." Katara whispered, her voice cracking a little. _

_"Me, too." For the first time in a long time, I was thankful that Agni had allowed me to see another day. Katara bowed her head over me, her hair spilling over my torso in waves of mahogany as she pressed a long kiss to my forehead. The new form of contact had barely registered before we turned to see the mess that had become of my sister. _

_I could still feel her lips against my skin if I concentrated._

_The night of the celebratory gala that I'd thrown to commemorate the end of the war and the joining of the four nations, Katara arrived to the ball without Aang on her arm. _

_I had been standing by the throne, greeting guests and shaking the hands of many people I couldn't remember the names of. But as soon as her name was announced, my attention was focused purely on her. I had expected her to arrive in her traditional Water Tribe formalwear, as was custom. But instead, she wore a dark crimson Fire Nation gown. Her hair was endlessly long, decorated with golden threads and caressing her every curve. Those huge eyes that I thought I had known so well were alive in a way I'd never seen before. _

_Aang had been standing next to the window, talking to Toph and Sokka in a despondent way that lead to believe something had happened between them. Had they fought? _

_I was floundering, staring at this beautiful woman in front of me with the red cheeks of a teenager. Her eyes scanned the room a few times before coming to rest on my shocked gaze. A smile as lovely as a moonlit night swept across her face as soon as she saw me, and slowly, she began to move towards me. She was wearing my Nation's colors. I couldn't get that image out of my head. Katara, the esteemed waterbending master and proud daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, was wearing a Fire Nation dress and walking towards me in a way that should be highly illegal. _

_Damn, she looked gorgeous in red. _

_"Excuse me." I said to the noblewoman who had been talking to me, brushing her aside somewhat rudely and moving towards Katara. Her smile grew as we neared each other. There were whispers all around me, especially from our friends, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to explain to her how much she meant to me and to hold her in my arms until I was sure she wasn't going anywhere._

_"Fire Lord Zuko." _

_"Lady Katara."_

_"Dance with me?" My hand was extended to her in a heartbeat, as if I'd been waiting to pull her to me for a lifetime._

_"Of course." _

_There were no more words exchanged between us for the next several hours, just the feel of the music and of each other. At times, I'd allow someone to cut in and dance with her, but we'd stare anxiously at each other over our new partner's shoulders as if being apart was physically painful._

_We stopped dancing at some point to go speak to some of our friends, and for a moment, I wanted to rest my hand on the curve of her back just to feel like she was actually mine to protect. __But the way Aang was looking at her stopped me. __Suki was gasping over Katara's dress, saying how beautiful it looked on her while Toph fingered the material and commented on lovely it felt. _

_"If I could see, sweetness, I'd complement you too." The blind girl's comment roused laughter from the group, and I found that even I had a smile on my face. Mai had made an appearance at the gala, but as soon as she'd seen me talking to Katara, she'd walked out and hadn't returned. I had mixed feelings about her disappearance. Part of me didn't care one bit, and another part of me felt sorry for her. _

_After most of the guests had left, Aang pulled Katara to the side to talk to her, and I watched as a whole new woman burst from the ashes of the relationship they'd had. He seemed like he was begging her for something, and when she refused, he continued to plead. She shouted at him._

_She actually shouted at him. _

_"That's my girl." I whispered, smiling a little to myself. Her fiery temper was one of many things we had in common. I loved that spark within her, the passion that burned in her eyes as strongly as my own._

_And they parted ways tearfully, angrily, and badly. Naturally, she left him to walk to my side, wiping away the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks bitterly and begging me to take her someplace quiet. Her arm looped through mine as we exited the grand ballroom almost as if she'd been doing it for years. When we stopped to sit down next to the turtleduck pond that my mother had once loved, her hand gripped mine almost painfully tightly. _

_"Zuko, I broke up with Aang." _

_The words resonated in the comfortable silence for a moment. I paused before allowing my thumb to move in soothing circles on the back of her hand. Her head was hung lowly over her chest, her mouth a thin line of pain and her eyes filling with tears. I knew how much this had to hurt her. Aang had been everything to her, she had been taking care of him since the day she'd met him and letting him go was no easy feat. _

_"Is this the first time you've ever done something for yourself instead of for everyone else?" I teased gently, reaching over with my other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear so I could better see her face. She laughed a little, wiping the remainder of her tears away and looking up at me._

_"I bought this dress all by myself, didn't I?" Katara murmured, her smile a quiet victory for me. She squeezed my hand. _

_"Thank you, Zuko." She whispered, turning her head to stare at the pond. _

_"For what?"_

_"For giving me the strength to do what was best for myself. You've been my absolute best friend through everything- and I'm so sorry I didn't forgive you sooner." Part of me thrilled to hear those words, sang with a joy that had been long dormant. But another part of me winced at the fact that she had called me her best friend and nothing more. Selfish, perhaps, but it was a bone deep pain that I'd been living with for quite some time._

_"Katara, it's more than fine. Having you in my life at all has been a blessing from Agni." I unraveled my hand from hers slowly as she kept her head turned away from me._

_A moment passed, in which I felt the distance between us growing until all I wanted to do was turn her face back to me and press a long kiss to those reddened lips of hers. But of course, that was impossible. It would never be acceptable._

_"Aang wasn't what was best for me, but I think I've found what is." Her face turned back to me, and when she was facing me once again, I could see that her eyes were free of tears. They were clear and honest and vulnerable, mirroring my own pain right back at me. _

_"Oh? And what is that?" My lips formed the words, but my heart was too busy writhing in sudden hope to bother paying attention to emote. My palms were sweating._

_"You." _

_The next thing I knew, her hands had flown to my face and her lips were against mine in a fierce dance of passion and love. I could have cried with relief. I could have died, right there, from the overwhelming happiness that engulfed me. Her light fingers skimmed my scar, gently, lovingly, as if I was something breakable that she didn't want to harm. I felt something in that moment that I'd never felt before. I felt loved. _

_Loved and appreciated and as if I were actually wanted in this world. _

_When we separated, we stared at each other for a long while in complete silence. _

_And then, the unthinkable happened. Katara's face changed. Her eyes filled with tears almost instantly, her expression clouding over with pain and regret. _

_"La, Zuko, I'm so sorry." The words flew from her mouth before I could explain that I was so horribly in love with her. Those tiny hands of hers flew to her mouth, pressing against those lips that I'd never thought I'd get to touch. _

_"Katara, no, don't be sorry-"_

_"I can't, Zuko. I can't." Her voice was nothing but a choked whisper now, and she picked up her skirts in her hands and got up. I jolted forward, grasping her wrist lightly to hold her for a moment while I explained. I had to explain. I had to stop her from thinking this was wrong, because it was so damn right._

_Those huge, luminous eyes were ripped into agony when she turned to look at me._

_She turned, just for that instant, and then her arm slipped from my loose grip and she was gone._

_I was frozen. _

_Frozen, watching the only girl I'd ever loved leave me._

* * *

Uncle was looking at me as if he pitied me. I didn't exactly want him to pity me, I just wanted to crawl back in bed and pull the covers back up over my head. I was roiling in pain, scalding from the burn of the memories I had just brought to the surface.

"She's just scared, Zuko." I looked up sharply, surprised at what he said.

"So am I, but I was prepared to drop everything for her." My reply was snappish. Uncle shook his head slowly and sipped at his tea.

"She's scared because she's just as untrustworthy of people as you are. Lady Katara has most likely had a hard time dealing with her and the Avatar's little split, the public must not have made it easy on her. Just give her another chance, Zuko. It's been a year. You've both grown."

There was some truth to what my uncle was saying, I had to admit. But it didn't make me feel any less hurt or angry about the matter.

"Zuko, promise me you'll give the girl another chance."

He was such the matchmaker.

* * *

It was only hours before the main gala started, and I hadn't seen her all day. I'd met up with Sokka, Toph, and Suki, but nobody had seen Aang or Katara anywhere. Sokka was too busy with his girlfriend too even help look around, Suki was fending his advances off, and Toph was- well, Toph was blind.

So I had scanned the crowds of the parades alone.

There wasn't a trace of the blue eyed beauty, not anywhere. I was getting somewhat frantic. What if she hadn't come? First of all, that would be highly rude of her Nation to not send it's ambassador to the largest event of the year. Secondly, I didn't know if I could stand anymore disappointments.

I was trying to keep my temper down while I was around Sokka. He had a knack for pushing my buttons in just a way that made me want to burn his stupid ponytail off.

"Hey, Zuko, why are you looking for my sister, anyways? She's probably just trying to make herself look all pretty or whatever for the dance." Sokka said, balancing Suki on his lap with one arm and stroking his meager beard with the other hand. Suki rolled her eyes heavily.

"I haven't talked to her in a year, it'd really be nice to catch up. Plus she owes me for saving her life." I tried to joke lightly, which amused Sokka and Suki but brought about a glare from Toph.

"Sparky, I don't believe a single word that's coming out of your mouth." She muttered irritatedly, picking at her fingernails.

"Oh Toph, you don't believe a word that anyone says." Suki laughed, playing with the ends of her hair. I smiled at them best I could before leaving to go get ready for my appearance at the gala.

It was something I was not looking forward to, at this rate.

Getting dressed up wasn't something I exactly adored. The heavy brocaded fabric was stiff and hot, and the armor that went over it was no better. At least I got to pull my hair up off my neck. Uncle helped me, along with a couple of the servants, and just as the gala was beginning I stared at myself in the mirror to try and get myself mentally ready for whatever was to come.

"If she doesn't come, she's made her decision to stay in her home nation. You'll have to respect that." Uncle murmured lowly, his hand on my arm. I nodded.

"I almost don't want her to come, so I don't have to face her." I admitted somewhat sheepishly. He shook his head at me then, smiling a little and beckoning for me to leave my chambers.

"It's time."

* * *

The first half an hour was awfully boring. I sat on the throne, watching as more and more people were announced to me and then trickled down onto the dance floor. Some people were already camping out by the drinks, like Sokka, and some were standing awkwardly to the sidelines. But most were dancing.

People from all walks of life were here tonight, I noted. I'd spotted a few water tribe women already and almost had a heart attack when I'd seen the blue fabrics. But none of them even slightly compared to Lady Katara.

Suddenly, a strange quiet fell over the hall.

"Announcing to his Royal Highness Fire Lord Zuko, the esteemed Avatar Aang." He was alone.

Oddly enough, he seemed equally as surprised to find me alone. While he didn't come up to speak to me, I knew that he would later. From his letters, we'd become closer friends, though he'd never mentioned Katara.

"Announcing to his Royal Highness Fire Lord Zuko, the esteemed Master Katara."

This name sent shivers down my spine and agony straight through my heart. I swallowed painfully, looking up excruciatingly slowly to see who was standing in the doorway.

There she was, dressed all in flowing blue gauze that just barely kissed the ground. It was gathered under her bust with a silver cord, showing off the figure that had appeared in the past year. Her hair was almost past her hips now. It was done up in a typical Fire Nation style, one that resembled my mother's personal favorite. Again, I was floundering. My heart was thudding painfully against my ribcage, my hands were clenched.

I felt like she was purposely torturing me.

Her eyes were scanning the crowds, stepping down the stairs with a hesitancy that normally didn't touch her flowing movements. At the base of the staircase, her eyes finally caught mine. I swallowed noisily. This was the moment I'd been dreading and waiting for and hoping for all year. I had wanted so badly to explain how I felt about her, to tell her that I'd loved her almost as long as I'd known her, and that nobody else in the world would love her like I did.

So I rose, getting to my feet as if I were in a trance all over again.

There seemed to be no point in moving towards her, as I could see she was moving towards me rather speedily. Her face was growing more and more frantic as she approached, and also, more and more red. The way she bit her lip made it obvious that what she was about to do was going to be embarrassing.

Was she going to be upset with me? Angry with me, even? The lord that stood before me, awkwardly awaiting my attentions, turned to follow my gaze and moved away with his head bowed when he noticed Katara. Her rush was halfway indecent, even, and the whispers of the crowd drew the attention of Aang and the rest of the crew. Aang's eyes were big and full with pain and I almost pitied him.

"Zuko." Katara's voice was breathless and beautiful and my heart ached to hear it because it'd been so _damn _long since it had graced my ears. She stood at the base of my throne somewhat unsteadily and knotted her hands together.

"Zuko, I'm sorry." An apology could mean many things, but my mind naturally assumed that she was sorry for the fact that she was about to break my heart. I swallowed deeply and tried to look casual as I waited for what she was about to say next.

"I've been so selfish and strange and I've avoided you for this past year. I had to, Zuko, you understand. But I'm here now, and please believe me when I say that I'm here, in earnest, to be with you if you'll still have me."

The silence in the hall was a sign that everyone had heard her plea and everyone was just as confused as I was.

"Katara, do you mean it?" I asked somewhat slowly, my voice cracking from years of pain. Was I dreaming? This had to be a dream. It was just too good to be true. But she took another step towards me, a smile playing on her lips, and reached for my hand.

"I swear on the grave of my mother that I'm absolutely in love with you, Fire Lord Zuko, and I beg to Tui and La that you feel the same." My feet had taken a few steps forward without my knowledge, and all of a sudden, our hands had met.

"I've been in love with you since the day I first met you, Katara." I smiled wryly down at her, staring into her big eyes for a moment before leaning down to press a kiss to the lips I'd only dreamed about.

It took a moment, but the silence erupted into thunderous applause all around us as we celebrated the epitome of equality in a moment of effortless love. Two nations, utterly opposite and yet so similar, had connected in this one moment to form something beautiful. I didn't care that my cabinet wouldn't approve of her, that my people would resent her at first.

All that mattered was that the master of the seas was resting in my arms, kissing me like we were about to die and reminding me what it was like to be alive.

* * *

_five years later. _

The moonlight streaked across the bed, reminding me of how late it was. But I didn't care. I was propped up on one arm, my other arm tightened around her waist and admiring the way her lips were curved up in a faint smile and how her lashes cast shadows down upon her cheeks. I'd been right, my council hadn't accepted her at first. But she'd forced her way into their hearts just as she had mine with her whiplash attitude and sharp mind. The people were growing to love her more and more every day as their benevolent Fire Lady. Every day, she did something for them, from redesigning homeless shelters to volunteering to helping families with their children. Her kindness knew no bounds, it seemed.

And neither did her passion. We fought, yes, but we always ended up tangled up with each other by the end of it, offering kisses and begging for forgiveness. But our fights made us who we were. We were stubborn, but we always met in the middle and compromised, no matter how mad we were. We had burning tempers, but never once had we been unable to repair the things that had been said.

I had never been happier in my whole life. I had never been so loved, so adored, so meaningful to someone before.

As I stared at my wife, I thought back to this morning, when we'd announced to my cabinet that we were pregnant. I smiled a little to myself as I replayed the words in my head. _We were pregnant_. It still amazed me, to this very moment, that she'd chosen me to be the father of her child.

I lifted my hand to her face, caressing the curve of her cheek and leaning forward to kiss her.

"Goodnight, Katara. I love you." I whispered. The way her smile grew as I said the words made it obvious that she'd heard me. But it wasn't until many moments later that I heard her response, muffled somewhat by the way her pillow was pressing against her face.

"I love you too, Zuko."

* * *

**I'm sorry this was so late! I've been so terribly busy. But here y'all have it, my zutara week submission! **

**Please, please, please review, I really want to know if you guys liked this or not (: **

**thank you guys so much for your continued love and support!**

**~nightfall26**


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